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27 · Friday, November 25, 2011 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com Planning g a town for the future through g school project p j By Zach Litzgus and Anna Jalali Grade 9, Iroquois Ridge H.S. As teenagers growing up in Oakville, we are very fortunate and proud to be living in such a great town and hope to raise our own families here one day. For this reason, we have a keen interest in what the city will look like in years to come and a responsibility to share our vision for the future of our community. On World Town Planning Day, Grade 9 students at Iroquois Ridge had the opportunity to meet with Tim Smith and Tyler Baker, an urban planner and a designer from Urban Strategies Inc., to explore transitioning parts of Oakville and to think critically and creatively about their redevelopment. As part of our school-wide Community Urban Student Project (CUSP), these mentors helped us understand the importance of what they do and the impact they have in shaping the world around us. Throughout the early part of our semester, our geography teachers helped us understand principles of land use and the issues related to urban growth. We were presented with three different sites around Oakville and were asked to come up with a smart growth plan that would enhance the local quality of life and preserve the natural environment, all in a financially responsible manner. In our proposal for the revitalization of the Kerr-Speers area, we tried to design an attractive community that would create a sense of identity and assure involvement and partnerships within the community. In response to the number of recent deaths in the GTA involving cyclists and pedestrians, our vision includes Building "Green Roofs," creating more protected green spaces and using the Sixteen Mile Creek for air conditioning and geothermal energy for heating are effective ways of reducing long-term expenses. Finally, our design incorporates mixed land use by adding new recreational areas like community gardens and a public skating rink as well as diverse housing opportunities to ensure that people in different family types, life stages and income levels can all enjoy living in the area. This opportunity was very interesting and showed us a lot about what is happening in Oakville and what we can do to improve our community. It engaged each and every student in a real-life experience, connecting our classroom learning with the world we see around us everyday. The feedback we received from professional urban planners and designers was meaningful and supported the evaluation from our teachers. Because these mentors took the time to share their passion and expertise, we were inspired to consider a career in a profession that, beforehand, many of us knew nothing about. The entire class valued this project because it dealt with our town and our neighbours and that made us care about the project. It allowed us to share our unique perspective as teenagers and opened our eyes to a new concept in which everything we do, little or big can have an impact. We need to think about what we are doing and to speak for ourselves and the community. This is by far one of the coolest projects we have ever had the pleasure to work on. This proves to us that school is about empowering student voices and inspiring and chal- the creation of safe and convenient bike lanes and sidewalks that would feature a physical barrier to protect cyclists from traffic. In order to help bring a new and improved look to Kerr Street, our plan utilizes smarter and cheaper infrastructure and green buildings that will also help with any financial issues. WOOD N' FLOOR We install all Kinds of Floors, Stairs and Railings Serving Oakville residents for over 20 years. "Refinish Your Wood Floor Like New" We will beat every written quote! W SA L E S VEMB E V ER EN T NO 2FC 0CEGML?J Municipality of Halton www.halton.ca Call KAZ (905) 338-1881 www.woodnfloor.ca NOTICE OF CONSTRUCTION HERITAGE Lifestyle Home Furnishings SINCE 1977 Dundas Street (Regional Road 5) from east of Appleby Line (Regional Road 20) to Bronte Road (Regional Road 25), in the City of Burlington and Town of Oakville PR-2729B !MLRP?AR ,SK@CP 1AFCBSJCB 1R?PR "?RC 1AFCBSJCB !MKNJCRGML "?RC Project Manager: 5Ì Ì $?JJ $?JJ Joe Proietti CVR STOCK BUY OUTS, FACTORY SPECIALS INCREDIBLE IN STOCK PRICING! Making Halton a better place to live, work and retire. Gary Carr, r Regional Chair 4205 Fairview Street, Burlington · 905-634-5298 www.heritagefurniture.ca 24/25 1111 IMMEDIATE DELIVERY Please let us know as soon as possible if you will have an accessibility or accommodation need at a Halton Region hosted event or meeting. 1151 Bronte Road, Oakville, Ontario L6M 3L1 "G?J MP ÌÌ k 2MJJ $PCC ÌÌÌ k 227 ÌÌ k UUU F?JRML A?